Apparatus for reinforcing crossties



J. A. FULHAM 3,069,687 APPARATUS FOR REINFORCING cRossTIEs 6Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 25, 1962 Filed Aug. 15, 1961 INVENTOR, c/o//A/ FULHAM BY Dec. 25, 1962 J. A. FULHAM 3,069,687

APPARATUS FOR REINFORCING CROSSTIES Filed Aug. l5, 1961 6 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR. Jax/N ,4. fum/1M Dec. 25, 1962 J. A. FULHAM APPARATUS FORREINFORCING cRossTIEs 6 Sheets-Sheet y3 Filed Aug. 15, 1961 1N VEN TOR.c/o/M/ f4, fam/4M BY wrom/Ens' Dec. 25, 1962 J. A. FULHAM APPARATUS FORREINFORCLNG cRoss'IEs 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 15, 1961 INVENTOR.L/o//fv fUL/AM 54%, ffm

TTORNEYS Dec. 25, 1962 J. A. FULHAM APPARATUS FOR REINFORCING cRossTIEs6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. l5, 1961 Dec. 25, 1962 J. A. FULHAM3,059,687

APPARATUS FOR REINFORCING CROSSTIES Filed Aug. l5, 1961 6 Sheets-Sheet 6TAN/4 1N VEN TOR Q/o/fw fz/L HAM @um A yz: i

Arrow/fas United States 1arent @hase 3,039,587 Patented Dec. 25, i962amasar APPARATUS FR REINFRCING CRSSTIES .lohn A. Fulham, 484 May St.,Jacksonville 4, Fla. Filed Aug. 15, 1963i, Ser. N0. 131,538 9 Claims.(Cl. 1302) This invention relates to railway crossties, theirreinforcement with dowel pins and apparatus for reinforcing suchcrossties without removing the ties from the railway road bed.

A general object is to provide an apparatus for reinforcing crossties ofa railway when the ties are in their intrack positions.

Crossties become split and cracked in use and require reinforcing inorder to obtain the full useful life from the tie. They are usuallyreinforced by inserting dowel pins in the ties and in most cases this isdone at the ends of the ties because most of the cracks and splitsoriginate thereat and work inward during subsequent use, therebymaterially shortening the useful life of the tie.

Some railway companies insert the dowel pins in the new ties as .aprecautionary preventative maintenance measure whereas others await theorigination of the cracks and splits and then reinforce the ties priorto extensive damage thereto.

In the latter case, it is necessary to remove the ties from the roadbed, make the necessary repairs and thereafter once again place the tiesin the railway road bed. They are removed from the road bed because ithas been thought necessary to insert the dowel pins horizontally throughthe end portions of the tie, and equipment has never been known whichcould carry out the necessary drilling and ramming operations associatedwith dowelling a tie, between the adjacent ties while the ties are intheir intrack position. This, of course, has led to the costly procedureof removing the tie from the road bed to elfect the repairs.

I have found that the cracks and splits can be eifectively closed whilethe ties are in their intrack position and the ties effectively repairedwith dowel pins without the need for inserting the dowel pinshorizontally through the ties. I accomplish this by inserting the dowelpins diagonally through the tie while the tie is being clamped to closethe wood separations. The ties reinforced by the diagonally extendingpins are stronger than those previously reinforced because of theability to use dowel pins of greater length and diameter when desiredand because they have a greater resistance to the formation of verticalcracks which develop from the wedging action of the rail splits.

One object of the invention is to provide a new method of reinforcingrailway crossties.

Another object is to provide reinforced crossties which utilize dowelpins for their reinforcement.

Another object is to provide an apparatus which is capable of operationon a crosstie in its intrack position to close wood separations in theend portions of the ties, drill the dowel pin holes in the end portionof the tie and press the dowel pins into the holes all in the limitedarea available in the railway between the rail and the ends of the ties.

Another object is to provide an apparatus which is capable of fulfillingthe last mentioned object without regard for the size of the tie and theusual changes in tie spacing in different railways.

Another object is to provide a self-propelled tie dowel ling apparatuscarriage which eliminates the need forl separately mounted dowellingapparatus to accomplish the dowelling operation at both ends of the tiesWhile the latter are in their intrack position.

In accord with certain aspects of the invention, a pair of dowel pins isembedded in each of the ends of the tie to reinforce the tie, the pinsbeing embedded offset from one another and in generally inclineddirections in the tie which more or less extend from the opposite upperside edges of the tie toward the lower opposite side edges of the tie.The dowel pins employed are of the usual type employed for dowellingrailway ties and may be slightly longer or larger in diameter whendesired to take advantage of the greater dimensions encountered in thetransverse diagonal directions of the tie.

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of thisinvention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its organization and method ofoperation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, maybest be understood by reference to the fol'owing description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE l is a top View of the rear portion of a selfpropelled railedvehicle embodying concepts of the invention and shows a crosstiedowelling apparatus in working position at one side of a railway,certain parts being broken away to facilitate an understanding of otherparts included in the apparatus.

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the crosstie dowelling apparatus as shown inthe working position of FIGURE 1 and includes a transverse elevationalsectional view through the turntable mechanism thereof generally alongthe lines 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of the dowelling apparatus generally alongthe lines 3-3 of FIGURE l with certain parts broken away.

FIGURE 4 is a front view of the dowelling apparatus shown in the workingposition of FIGURE 1 with certain parts broken away and removed tofacilitate an understanding of the arrangement of certain parts of thedowel pin ramrning mechanism of the apparatus.

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational View of the front portion of the tailedvehicle on a diminished scale.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective fragmentary view of a portion of a tieclamping device of the apparatus showing a ballast scooping attachmenttherefor.

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view along the lines 7-7 of FIGURE 3illustrating a portion of the means provided for mounting the drills ofthe dowelling apparatus.

FIGURE 8 is a schematic drawing illustrating the control mechanism foroperating the various hydraulically operated components of the dowellingapparatus.

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary view of certain com` ponents used for aligningthe rams. i

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary top View of the ram heads in workingposition.

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary view of a dowel pin commonly employed fordowelling the ties and which is useful in reinforcing the ties in accordwith the invention.

GENERAL With reference to the drawings, the self-propelled railedvehicle is generally illustrated in the drawings as 1 and carries acrosstie dowelling apparatus designated generally at 2. The dowellingapparatus is mounted on the vehicle by means of a turntable mechanism 3and includes a horizontally and vertically moveable carriage assembly 4which is mounted at its rear end on and rotatable with the frame 4t) ofthe turntable mechanism 3. The carriage assembly 4 has a plate frame 6between the plates 7 and 8 of whih is mounted a ballast scooping and tieclamping mechanism 9 and on the forward face of which is mountedcomponents of a drilling mechanism itl. The plate frame 6 in turnsupports an auxiliary or secondary carriage at the front end of theassembly 4 that includes another plate frame 11 and on which a aoeaesvdowel ramming mechanism 1.7. is mounted. The auxiliary frame 11 ismoveable toward and away from the plate frame 6 and carries the controlvalves 13 for the operation of the various hydraulically operatedcomponents of the dowelling apparatus 2.

THE VEHICLE The vehicle 1 has an elongated generallyj'at rectangularrigid frame 18 which is horizontally disposed above the rails of therailway and supported on flanged driven wheels 1.4 at the front end 15and on'flanged rail following wheels 16 at the rear'end 17 of thevehicle. The frame 13 includes side forming beam members 19 and 20 whichare rigidly interconnected and maintained in parallel by transverselyextending cross end members 21 and 22.

As seen in FIGURE 5, the front portion 23 of the frame 18 is elevatedabove the rear portion Z4 and has a diesel motor 25 suitably mountedthereon. Motor 2.5 is drivingly coupled to a fluid pump 26 that ismounted on a rigid transversely situated plate 27 which is welded to thetop lflanges of the side forming members 19 and 2l). Plate 7 serves as aplatform from which the motor 25 and other components of the vehicledrive assembly 2S are controlled.

'The front portion 23 of the frame 18 also carries a hydraulic motor 29between the side members 19 and 20. Motor 29 is driven by pressurizeduid supplied by pump 26 and is drivingly connected to driven wheels 14through a clutch and transmission mechanism 30. The motor 29 issupported between the members 19 and 2t) on an underslung frame 31 whichis suspended from the undersides of side members 19 and 2t. Frame 31includes a transversely extending plate 32 which is welded tolongitudinally extending channel members that are secured to theundersides of the side members 19 and 20 between the rear portion Z4 ofthe frame 1S and the axel housing 34 for the drive Wheels 14, only oneof the members, namely member 33, being shown in FIGURE 5.

As best shown in FIGURE l, the rear portion 24 of the vehicle frame 18is provided with a pair of transversely extending l beams 35 and 36which are suitably spaced longitudinally of the vehicle frame 18 forsupporting the turntable mechanism 3. Beams 35 and 36 are rigidlyconnected to the side beams 19 and 2t?.

THE TURNTABLE MECHANISM The turntable mechanism is best shown in FIGURESl and 2 and includes a solid tlat annular track plate member 37. Member37 is symmetrically positioned on top of transversely extending beams 35and 36 between the side forming members 19 and 20 of the vehicle and iswelded to the cross beams 35 and 36. Annular member 37 is provided witha downwardly and outwardly beveled peripheral upper face portion 38which functions as track for the rollers 39 on which the frame 4t) ofthe turntable mechanism is mounted and rotatable.

The rollers 39 are tapered to 'conform to the contour of the track 33and rest on the beveled portion 38 of the track plate 37. The frame 46is rotatable about an upright frame retaining assembly 41 which isdisposed axially within the annular portion 42 of the plate member 37.The retaining assembly 41 prevents horizontal radial movement of theframe 46 relative to the track plate 37 and includes a hollow sleeve 43which is provided with a radially extending lower flange portion 44 anda center pin element 45. The lange portion 44 of sleeve 43 is rigidlymounted on a rest plate 46 that is securely xed on top of and extendsbetween cross beams 35 and 36 within the annular portion 42 of the trackplate 37 with the sleeve portion upright. Pin 45 snugly lits within thexed sleeve 43 and the stem 47 of the pin 45 passes through a suitableopening 48 in the rest plate 46, thence downwardly between the crossbeams 35 and 36, and is secured beneath the cross beams by a nut 49which threadedly engages the stern 47 and bears upwardly against anotherplate 50 through which the stem passes. Plate 50 extends transverselyacross the space 51 and between beams 35 and 36 and is welded to thebottom lianges of the beams.

The rigid turntable frame 4t) is provided with a centering sleeve 52which is rotatable with the frame 4t) and which snugly surrounds thefixed sleeve 43 of the retaining assembly above flange 44. The top offrame sleeve 52 is disposed spacedly below the head 53 of center pin 47so as to permit a small cylindrical thrust bearing 54 to beinterpositioned between the center pin head y53 and the upper end of thesleeve 52. Bearing 54 absorbs any upward thrust from the frame 40 causedduring the working of the mechanisms of the dowelling apparatus.

The load bearing components of the at horizontally disposed turntableframe 40 include a rigid square inner frame portion 55 and a rigidsquare outer frame p0rtion 56 which are aligned symmetrically one withinthe other and in symmetrically axial alignment with and radiallyoutwardly of sleeve element 52. The opposite and parallel end formingmembers 57 and 58 of the inner frame portion 55 have integral extensions59 at their opposite ends which are rigidly secured to the opposite andparallel side forming members 6d and 61 of the outer frame portion 56thereby rigidly connecting the respective portions with the adjacentside and end members of the frame portions in parallel, as illustratedby end member 57 of the inner frame portion 55 and parallel end member62 of the outer frame portion 56.

As best illustrated in FIGURES l and 2, sleeve 52 is joined to theframing members of the inner frame 55 by means of radially extendingbars 63 which link and are xed to the sleeve 52. and to the insides ofthe corners 64' of the square inner frame portion 55 as by welding. v l

Each of the side and end forming members of the outer frrme porion 56are disposed above andI offset outwardly of the track 38 as shown by endmember 62 in FIG- URE 2. The middle portions of the adjacent parallelside or end forming members of the inner frame portion 55 are otisetinwardly of the track as illustrated by end member 57. This enables themounting of four rollers 39 between the inner and outer frame portions.Thus, roler 65 is mounted midway between the ends of the adjacentparallel members 57 and 62 of the inner and outer portions of the frameand the other three frame supportfng rollers are similarly mounted.

Outwardly of and in axial alignment with the at'circular track plate 37is an annular turntable track gear 66 which is carried by the turntableframe 40. The gear is slung beneath the outer frame portion of theturntable frame and is secured to cach of the side and end members ofthe outer frame, as illustrated by reference to end member 62. As shown,spacer blocks, such as block 67, are welded on the bottrm anges such asflange 68 of end member 62 and the gear is welded to the bottom of theblocks.

As shown in FIGURE l, a uid motor 69 is mounted on the rear face of across beam 76 of the vehicle frame. Beam 70 extends between andisconnected to side mem'- bers 19 and 26 of the vehicle and is suitablydisposed forwardly of the turntable ge^r. The motor 70 has an attachedgear mechanism 71 that includes a pinion 72 whih is driven by the motor.Pinion 72 is horizontally aligned w'th and drivingly engages the gear 66to lrotate the turntable frame 4@ on the track plate 3'7.

THE CARRIAGE ASSEMBLY The carriage assembly 4 includes a horizontallymoveable carriage frame 73 at the rear of the assembly 4 which ismounted on the turntable frame 4t) and a vertically moveable carriage'i4 which is suspended from the front end of frame 73. Carriage 74 has anarrow upright plate frame 6 which is adapted for transverse placement`on spencer a crossie and on which is mounted an auxiliary carriage 75'that is designed for movement of the ramming mechanism 12 into operativeposition for pressing the dowel pins into the ties.

The horizontal carriage frame 73 is a generally elongaed dathorizontally disposed structure that carries the rail guides 64 and 65for the vertical carriage 74 and is suspended on rollersl 76 between apair of horizontal rail guides 85 and 86 that are rigidly mounted on theupper face 7S of the turntable frame 4b.

As seen in FIGURES 1 and 4 the rail guides S5 and 86 are elongaiedU-shaped channel members which are arranged atop the turntable f ame 49in horizontal parallel spaced relationship with their flanges 79extending inwardly of the side members 6l) and 6l of the turntable frame40. Each of the rail guides 85 and 86 is disposed above and offsetinwardly of a respective side member of the cuter frame portion 56 ofthe turntable frame 4t? and spans the top of the frame transversely ofthe lateral extenslons 59 of end members 57 and of the inner frameportion 55 thzrcof. The rail guides 85 and S6 extend outwardly of andabove the respective end members 62 and Sil of the turntable frame andterminate inwardly of the side extremities of the vehicle when theturntable is in the position shown in FIGURE l.

The rail guides 85 and S6 are joined and braced at the rear ends of theguide components by an interconnecting rig'd end plate S2. which joinsthe guides and is welded' to the respacive components 85 and 86. Plate82 is provided with a pair of inwardly extending ears 83, intermediateits ends for mounting the horizontal carriage cylinder 84 of thecarriage assembly. The cylinder 84 is positimed between the respectiverail guides S5 and S6 with the piston arm end extending7 inwardly of endplate 82 and has an eye component 103 at one end which is inte posedbetween the ears 83 and connected thereto by pivot pin 1114.

Slung beneath the overhanging rear end portion 87 of the rail guides 85and 86 is a counter weight 3S which is des'gned to balance the weight ofthe apparatus carried at the front end of the carriage frame 73. Counterweight S3 is affixed to the rail guides 85 and 86 and is disposedoutwardly of end member 31B of the turntable frame 413 and above thering gear 66 so as not to interfere with the movement of the turntablemechanism.

The guides have a front portion which extends forwardly of the turntableframe 49. However, the front ends of the rail guides are open so as toaccommodate the movement of the horizontal carriage frame 73.

The carriage frame 73 includes a pair of solid side forming bar members90 and 91 which are maintained in parallel at their front ends by asuitable interconnecting brace 92 that extends transversely between andis suitaby welded to the inside faes of the rails 99 and 91. Brace 92 isoffset rearwardly of the vertical rail guides 6d and 65 which arecarried at the front of the horizontal carriage frame so as toaccommodate the connection of the vertical guides 641 and 65 to thefront ends 94 and 95 of horizontal rails 96 and 91, and to enable theguides to be tilted toward the horizontal carriage when desired.

In addition to brace 92, the rails 90 and 91 of the carriage frame 73are also braced by another interconnecting carriage frame member 96.Brace 96 interconnects and is welded to the rails 91) and 91 forwardlyof their rear ends, 97 and 98, and is positioned suticiently forwardy ofthe rail ends. to accommodate the disposition of the carriage cylinder84 between the brace member 96 and the guide connecting end plate 32when the carriage frame 73 is fully drawn into the rail guides. Member96 is povided with a pair of ears 99 on its rear face, as sho-wn inFIGURE 1, for connecting the end eye component of the piston arm 113@ ofthe cylinder 84 to the carriage frame 73. This is accomplished by meansof a pivot pin 101 which passes through the ears 99 and through theintervening eye component 1112.

Each of the rails 90 and 91 is disposed in parallel juxtaposition to theanges 79 of one of the rail guides 85 and 86 and is provided with a pairof rollers 76 which are carried on the outside of the rail between thellanges of the adjacent rail guide. The rollers are suitably spacedlongitudinally of the rail to support the frame between the guides asthe carriage frame is moved back and forth by cylinder 84. The rollers76 bearingly cooperate with the flanges 79 in supporting the load of thecarriage and its associated apparatus, and the upper flanges of theguides prevent the carriage frame 73 from tilting under the loadsupported thereon.

The rails of the carriage are of suicient length to facilitate theproper placement and working of the various components of dowellingapparatus 2 hereinafter described.

The vertically moveable carriage component 74 of the carriage assembly 4is pivotally mounted at the front end of the horizontal carriage frame73 and is retained in an upright position by a pair of adjustableturnbuckle mechanisms 115 and 116 which are mounted in the horizontalcarriage frame and connect with the vertical carriage guide components64 and 65.

.The carriage guide components 64 and 65 of the assembly 4 are U-shapedchannels, which are pivotally connected to the front ends of thehorizontal rails 91) and 91 with the lianges 105 of the channelsextending inwardly of the rails in a manner similar to the rail guidesand 86 of the horizontal carriage frame 73. As shown in FIGURES 1 and 2,vertical rail guide 64 is connected to rail of the horizontal carriageframe 73 by means of a pivot pin 106 which passes through the end 94 ofrail 9? and through the ange interconnecting web of the guide 64. Guiderail forming channel 65 is similarly connected by means of pivot pin1118, and the respective channels are maintained in parallel by means oftransversely extending top and bottom cross braces 109 (FIG- URES 2 and3 )and 110 (FIGURE l) which are affixed to the guides.

Brace 109 is a at plate which extends transversely of and between theguide rails 64 and 65 and is secured at the top of the rails as bywelding, to the front anges 111 of the respective guides 64 and 65.Brace 109 is provided with a pair of horizontally spaced and forwardlyextending ears 112 for purposes of mounting the vertical cylinder 113.

The lower portions of the guides 64 and 65 extendV downwardly from theirpivotally connections with the horizontal carriage and areinterconnected by a transversely extending brace which is arrangedbetween the rear anges of the by welding.

The guides 64 and 65 are maintained in the vertical position shown inFIGURE 2 when the dowelling apparatus is being employed by means of theturnbuckle mechanisms 115 and 116 previously referred to.

To facilitate the mounting of the turnbuckle mechanisms on thehorizontal carriage frame, and to further. brace the rails in spacedrelationship, the frame 73 is provided with a transversely extending atcross brace 117 that is disposed on top of the rails 90 and 91 spacedlyrearwardly of the vertical rail guides 64 and 65. A pair of upstandingears 118 is provided at each end of the cross brace 117 and is welded tothe brace for attaching the turnbuckle mechanisms 115 and 116 to thehorizontal carriage frame 73.

The elongate turnbuckle mechanisms 115 and 116 as illustrated in FIGURE2 by reference to mechanism 115, are pivotally connected at their lowerends by means of a pivot pin 119 which passes through the lower end ofthe mechanism and through the ears 118 that are mounted on the brace117. The mechanisms 115 and 116 extend forwardly of their carriageconnections inclined upwardly and at the upper ends are connected to thevertical rail guides, such as guide 64 by means of another pin 120 whichpasses through the end of the mechanism and a guides and secured to theanges:

sheaves? 7 rearwardly extending lug 121 that is welded to the rear angeof the rail at a point roughly intermediate to the upper endv of therail and its pivotal connectionv with the horizontal carriage rail.

The drilling and tie clamping mechanisms 9 and 10 are. mounted on arigid narrow upright frame portion 6 of the vertical carriage 74 as isthe auxiliary carriage assembly 75 on which the rarnming mechanism 12 ismounted. Therfrarne 6 is adapted to be arranged transversely of thetie122 to be dowelled and to rest upon the upper face of the tie betweenthe tie end 124. and the rail plate 125 as shown in FIGURE 2. It issuciently narrow to accom modate the working of the drilling and rammingmechanisms outwardly of the front plate 7 of the frame 6 when thusarranged.

The frame 6 includes, in addition to the front upright plate member 7, acorrespondingly similar upright rear plate 8 which is spaced rearwardlyof and disposed in parallel to the front plate 7. The frame is providedwith a small rest plate 126 at the bottom which. extends between theplates of the frame and is affixed to the bottom edges of the respectiveplates 7 and 8 intermediate the lower side edge portions 127 and 12S ofthe frame. Plate 126 is adapted to rest on the upper face of the tie 122when` the drilling. and Vramming mechanisms are being operated and isfofsufficient size as. to not interfere with the operation of the dependingarms of the clamping mechanism that are disposed outwardly thereof andadapted to engage. the opposite sides of the plate 126.

` The upright frame 6 is disposed generally oifset forwardly of and inparallel with the general plane of the rail guides 64 and 65 forthecarriage 74 and the lower portion 129 of the frame extends laterallyof the rail guides toward the sides of the carriage assembly 4. Each ofthe opposite lower lateral extensions 130 and 131 of the frame 6 areprovided with a transversely extending open ended sleeve as illustratedby sleeves 132 and 133, which is alixed to and passes through the frontand back plates 7 and 8 of the frame 6'. In each of thel sleeves 132 and133 is rigidly mounted a forwardly extending solid shaft componentof theauxiliary carriage 75, as illustrated by parallel horizontal shafts 134and 135.

Above the lateral extensions 130 and 131 the sides 137 and 138 of theframe 6 taper upwardly and inwardly to the open top portion 138 of theframe 6. Portion 138 is generally disposed forwardly of and between railguides 64 and 65 as shown in FIGURE 4. The tapered side portions 143 and144 are open between the plates 7 and 8 to accommodate the mounting andworking of certain components of the drilling mechanism as describedhereinafter.

The upper portion 145 of the frame 6 is provided with a pair of platespacing upright and parallel frame and rail reinforcing gusset plates139 and 14) which `connect and extend downwardly between the back andfront plates 7 ands, of the frame 6. The gusset plates are arranged atopposite sides of the open top portion 135 of the frame 6, andyterminate spacedly below the top edges of the plates 7 and 8 a suitabledistance Each of the gusset plates is rigidly connected to the front andback plates 7 and 8 of the frame 6 andV is provided with an upperextension, such as extensions 141 and 142, which pro# jects above theplates 7 and S. These extensions 141 and 142 are respectively alignedwith the adjacent front flanges 146 of the upright and parallel verticalrails 147 and 148 and are welded thereto.

The rails 147 and 148 are L-shaped channel members which are mountedupright and in parallel against the back of plate 8 with one of theirflanges 146 extending inwardly toward the other rail and with the otherflange 1750 extending rearwardly of the back plate between the railguides 64 and 65. As shown in FIGURE l, the respective rearwardlyextending flanges G of the rails 147 and 148 are disposed adjacent to arespective rail guide 64 and 65 and carries a pair (FIGURE 2) ofsuitably spaced rollers 151 which are rotatably mounted on the guideside of the rail flange `between the anges 1115 of the guide rail,whereby the carriage is restrained in its horizontal movement relativeto the rail guides.

The plate frame 6 is suspended from the upper cross brace 1119 for therail guides 64 and 65 by means of depending vertical carriage cylinder113 which is connected to the brace 1119 by means of a pivot pin 152which extends through ears 112 and the eye component 153 that is securedto the upper end of the cylinder. Cyiinder 113 is disposed intermediatethe sides 136 and 137 of the frame 6 and generally above the frame. rEhepiston arm 154 is pivotally connected to the frame 6 through a smallelongated horizontally disposed plate 155 which is welded to the frontand rear plates 7 and il of the frame 6 beneath the open top portion 133of the frame, about .midway between the top and the bottom of the frame.Plate 155 is provided with a pair of affixed upstanding spa-ced ears 156and the connection is made with the piston arm 154 by means of a pivotpin 15S which passes through the ears 156 and through the ir1 terveningeye component 157 of the piston arm as shown in FIGURE 2. The gussetplates 139 and 140 are suitably spaced laterally of the cylinder toenable passage of the piston arm 154 of the cylinder through the openingbetween the plates 7 and 8 to permit also the passage of the lower endof the cylinder between the plates when thercarriage is fully drawn upin rail guides.

The auxiliary frame 11 is slidably mounted on the parallel shafts 134and 135. The shafts are of sulcient length to enable the movement of theframe 11 toward and away from frame 6, to accommodate the working of thedrilling mechanisms between the respective frames. The shafts are joinedat their outer ends by a transversely extending cross plate 159 which iswelded to the ends and on which is mounted a bracket 1611 to which theoperators seat 161 is pivotally connected.

The auxiliary frame 11 of the auxiliary carriage assembly 75 includes apair of elongated transversely ex* tending upright plate members 1692and 163 which are spaced at the bottom of the frame 11 by a pair offixed sleeves 164 and 165 which are welded to the plates 162 4and 163 inaxial alignment with the respective frame :supporting shafts 134 and135. The sleeves 164 and 165 of the frame 11 are slidable on therespective shafts 134 and 135 to enable the frame to be moved back andforth on the shafts.

The bottom of the frame 11 is open and the lower edges of the plates 162and 163 are in the same horizontal plane as the bottom edges of theplate members '7 and 8 of head frame 6. The plates 162 and 163 arespacedV at the top by a transversely extending control deck 166 which isixed to the parallel plates 162 and 163 at the top of the frame, asshown in FIGURE 2. The deck pro- ]lelcts slightly outwardly of the frontface 167 of the frame The auxiliary frame 11 and plate frame 6 areinterconnected by a hydraulic cylinder 16d which is adapted to move theframe 11 back and forth on shafts 134 and 135 to move the rammingmechanism out of and into working position. The cylinder 168 ispivotally connected at one end as at 169 (FIGURE 3) to the inside faceof pla-te 8 immediately above rest plate 126'. It extends forwardly ofthe pivotal connection 169 through a suitable opening 1 2 in plate 7 andthe piston arm 171 of the cylinder is pivotally connected to the insideface of plate 162 of the auxiliary frame 11, as at 170. Another suitableopening 174 is provided in the rear plate 163 of the auxiliary frame 11to accommodate the arm as well as the portion of the cylinder whichextends forwardly of plate 7 when the arm 171 is retracted and plate 163is drawn into close proximity with plate 7.

The auxiliary frame 11 is also provided with a horizontally disposedfoot rest 175 which is mounted on the outer face 167 of plate 162beneath the shafts 134 and 9 135. The shafts extend over the foot rest175 when the auxiliary frame 11 is drawn rearwardly toward plate frame6.

As shown in FIGURE 2, the seat 16'1 is mounted forwardly of frame 11 ona pair of elongated equal length parallelly outwardly and upwardlyinclined seat supporting members 176 and 177. These members arepivotally connected, as at 179 and 180, at their lower ends to thebracket 160 that is mounted on member 159 intermediate shafts 134 and135. The upper ends of the members 176 and 177 are pivotally connectedto the seat as at 181 and 182. One end of a frame linking arm 178 ispivotally joined as at 181, to member 176 intermediate its ends. Theother end of the link 178 is pivotally connected, as at 182, to the faceof the plate. Member 177 is spaced outwardly of member 176 and it isdeemed apparent that the seat 161 pivots upwardly and rearwardly asshown by dotted lines 183 as the frame 11 is drawn toward frame 6 bycylinder 168. As such when the auxiliary frame 11 moves rearward onshafts 134 and 135, the seat 161 is caused to pivot on its mounting andmove rearwardly and upwardly, being maintained, however, in parallel byreason of the two arm connections employed. VThis enables the operatorto more closely observe the ramming action of the ramming mechanismthrough the observation holes 184 provided in the front plate member 162of frame 11, the holes 184 being best shown in FIGURE 4.

THE CLAMPING MECHANISM The clamping mechanism includes a pair ofelongated jaw carrying arms 185 `and 186 which are pivotally mountedbetween the plates 7 and 8 of frame 6 by transversely extending pivotpins 191 and 192. Pins 191 and 192 are mounted at their opposite ends inplates 7 and 8.

The larms 185 and 186 are pivoted generally intermediate their oppositeends and have lower jaw carrying portions 187 and 188 which dependbeneath the frame 6 adjacent to the opposite sides of the rest plate 126and which are adapted and arranged to straddle the tie 122 to bedowelled on opposite sides 189 and 190 thereof.

'Ihe upper portions` 19.3 and 194 of the arms are joined through aoating horizontally disposed hydraulic cylinder 197 and are pivotallyconnected to the opposite ends of the cylinder 197, as by pivot pins 195and 192, the cylinder 197 being disposed in the frame between auxiliarycarriage cylinder 168 and plate 155. The action of the mechanism is suchthat when the piston arm 202 is extended, the upper portions of the armsare caused t move toward the sides of the frame and the lower jawcarrying portions 187 and 188 of the respective arms 185 and 186 swinginwardly on their pivotal connections and engage the opposite sides ofthe tie with a vise-like grip as shown in FIGURE 3.

As seen in FIGURE 6, with reference to arm 186, the lower portion 188 ofthe arm is offset forwardly of the upper portion 194 to enable the jawto be disposed closer to the portion of the tie to be dowelled so as toinsure the closure of the cracks and splits in the tie portion 122. Bothjaw carrying arms are similar in this respect.

The jaws 200 and 201 are pivotally mounted at the respective lower endsof the arms 185 and 186 by pivot pins 198 and 199 so as to beself-aligning with the contour of the tie sides and are maintained ingeneral vertical alignment with the sides 189 and 190 of the tie 122 bymeans of tension springs such as spring 203. As seen in FIGURE 6, thespring 203 is connected adjacent the upper side of the jaw plate in theposition shown and extends outwardly and upwardly thereof to itsconnection with the arm portion 188 and thus, maintains the jaw plategenerally in vertical alignment with the side of the tie.

A scooping attachment 205 is provided on each jaw, which as illustratedwith reference to the jaw 200 in FIGURE 6, is mounted on the forwardedge 206 of the 1t) jaw plate 204 by screws 207. The attachment has atie engaging flange 208 through which clamping pressure is appliedforwardly of the jaw plate. 'll`he attachment also has a flange portion209 which extends rearwardly of the jaw plate 204 and which functions asa b-allast scoop. For example, when the jaws are positioned to straddlea tie and the vertical carriage cylinder is extended, the jaws areforced into the road bed ballast. Thereafter by extending the arm of thehorizontal carriage cylinder, the carriage assembly and the jaws aremoved toward the end of the tie. During this movement, ilange 209 of`attachment 205 shoves the ballast outwardly of the end of the tie toclear the tie for clamping engagement by the jaw. Flange 208 also servesto scoop ballast away from the sides of the tie when the jaws have beendriven downwardly into the ballast and the piston arm 202 is retracted,thus forcing the jaws laterally of the sides of the tie. It should alsobe noted that the attachment 205 projects below the bottom edge of thejaw plate 204 to facilitate the scooping action of the respectiveflanges of the attachment.

The floating cylinder arrangement enables the arms to adjust themselvesto the tie when the frame 6 is placed on the tie in slight misalignmenttherewith.

THE DRILLING MECHANISM The drilling mechanism 10 is composed of a pairof drill assemblies which may be simultaneously or selectively operatedto drill diagonally extending holes adjacent the end of the crosstie andwhich are designated as 210 and 211 in the drawings. The drills 212 and255 of the respective assemblies incline downwardly and inwardly towardthe respective adjacent top side edges 217 and 256 of the tie from theopposite sides of the carriage assembly 4 and have axes which aregenerally perpendicular to the tie and offset longitudinally thereof soas to enable the drilling of inclined, and preferably substantiallydiagonally extending, offset holes 215 and 257 in the tie as illustratedin FIGURE 3. The drilling components of the respective assemblies aremounted on the front plate 7 of the head frame 6 and are swingablymounted in parallel with the plate 6 into and out of their respectiveWorking positions, depicted in FIGURE 3, by means of hydraulic cylinders240 and 241. These cylinders are mounted between the plates 7 and 8 ofthe head frame 6. But for minor differences mainly pertaining to theolfset nature of the drills, the assemblies 210 and 211 aresubstantially identical and symmetrically mounted to work at oppositesides of the tie and accordingly will be described most particularlywith respect to assembly 211.

The assembly 211 includes a drill 212 composed of a fluid motor 213 anda twist drill 214. The drill is swingably mounted on the front plate 7and is adjustably arranged and adapted to assume a working position, asshown in FIGURE 3, such that its axis extends in a direction which isinclined downwardly and inwardly toward the tie to thereby enable thedrilling of a hole 215 in the end portion 216 of the tie 122 thatextends perferably in a direction which is generally diagonally from thetop side edge 217 of the tie 122, adjacent to the assembly 211, to theopposite bottom side edge 218 of the tie. The motor 213 is mounted onthe back side of a bracket 219 which is slidably mounted on an elongatedinwardly and downwardly inclined straight bar 220 which is square incross section as shown in FIGURE 7. The bar is carried on the frame 6outwardly of and in front of the face 167 of the frame plate 7 by meansof a swinging arm 233 and swinging yoke type member 239. The drill isdisposed rearwardly of the bar 220, between the bar and the plate 7 andis olfset forwardly of the latter. Its axis is parallel to the bar 220.The movement of the drill 212 on the bar 220 is controlled throughactuation of a hydraulic drill feed cylinder 221 which is slung beneaththe upper end of the bar with its working axis also in parallel with thebar. A similar drill feed cylinder 221 is provided for `drill V255 ofassembly 210. The outer end 222 of the bar 220 is provided with a pairof depending ears 223 by means of which the outer end of lthe cylinderis attached by a pivot pin 224 to the b-ar 220. The piston arm 225 ofthe cylinder 221 is pivotally secured to the bracket 219 by means of apivot pin 226 which passes through the end of the piston arm 225 andthrough a pair of depending ears 227 that are affixed to the bottom ofthe slidable bracket 219. When the piston arm `225 is extended, thedrill 212 is forced downwardly on the bar 220 and the tool end 214 ofthe drill is forced into the tie 122 and conversely, when the arm 225 isretracted the drill is drawn upwardly on the bar to the position shownin FIGURE 3 with the drill out of tie engagement.

The bar 220 is connected to arm 233 through an L-shaped elongated shoe228 which opens downwardly and inwardly kand is arranged as shown inFIGURES 2 and 3 to `lit over the adjacent side edge 217 of the tie. Thelower end 229 of the bar 220 is welded to the front end 23) of the shoe228 and the rear end 231 of the shoe 228 is disposed spacedly rearwardlythereof and adjacent `to the front plate 7 of the yframe 6. This end 231of the shoe 228 is .pivotally connected as at 232 to the dependingswingable arm 233 of the assembly. rThe arm 233 extends upwardly fromits pivotal connection 232 with shoe 228, is -ofset from the face 167 ofplate 7 and is pivotally connected as at 234 tothe depending piston arm-23'5 of a shoe adjusting hydraulic cylinder 236. Cylinder 236 ismounted adjacent to the top of the frame and on the face 167 of theplate 7 as shown in FIGURE 2. Arm 233 is adapted to swing from thepiston arm 235 in parallel with the front face 167 of the plate 7. Thecylinder 236 is pivotally connected at the top of the plate 7 to a pairof forwardly extending ears 237 which are welded on the face 167 of theplate intermediate the sides of the frame and adjacent to the Itop ofthe frame 6 as shown inFIGURE 3.

The shoe 223 is provided with an opening 238 between its opposite ends230 and 231 and the opening is aligned with the axis of the drill 212.The shoe opening 238 serves as a guide for the tw-ist drill 214 when thelatter is forced in-to the tie to drill the dowel hole 215.

The upper end 222 of the bar 220 is mounted on the frame 6 by a yoketypeswingably mounted member 239 that is pivotally connected to thehydraulic cylinder 241 which is mounted between the plates 7 and 8. Theplates 7 and'S are provided with opposite tapered upper side edgeportions 143 and 144 to accommodate the connections with the respectivecylinders 240 and 241 of the assemblies 216 and 211 as shown in FIGURE3. Member 239 is provided with a `pair of elongated downwardly andoutwardly inclined arm elements 242 and 243 which are offset from eachother as shown in FIGURE il and are connected by an integrally formedlink244. From the ends 245 and 246 of the link, elements 242 and 243extend in parallel opposite directions. Element 242 extends upwardly andinwardly of end 246 of the link 244 and is disposed adjacent to thefront plate 7 of the frame. The upper end of element 242 is pivotallyconnected on the front face of the plate adjacent the top corner 247 ofthe frame by a pivot pin 248. Element 243 inclines downwardly andoutwardly of the forward end 245 of link 244 above the bar 220 and ispivotally connected to the bar. This connection is made by a pivot pin249 which passes through the outer end of the element 243 and a pair ofupstanding ears 25) that are welded to the top side of the bar 221ibetween the end of the bar and the innermost position of the bracketwhen the piston arm of cylinder 221 is fully retracted.

The link 244 is provided with an integrally formed rearward extension251 which passes over the tapering upper side edge of the plate 7 andwhich is pivotally connected to cylinder 241 by pivot pin 252. Cylinder241 is mounted between the plates 7 and 8 of the head frame by means ofa pivot pin 253 which extends between the plates and passes through aneye element at the lower end of the cylinder 241. Cylinder 241 inclinesslightly inwardly from the vertical as shown in FIGURE 3 and the pistonarm end of the cylinder 241 is connected to the rear end of linkextension 251 by means of pivot pin 252 which connects the end of thep-iston arm with a pair of depending ears 254 that are formed integralwith the extension 251.

Cylinders 236 and 241 provide an adjustable means for positioning theshoe 228 at the side edge of the tie and accordingly for positioning thedrill in a working position with its axis inclined downwardly andinwardly toward the adjacent top side edge of the tie. This arrangementpermits the drilling mechanism to be ernployed `for drilling ties whichvary in sizes from one railway to another.

As lshown in FIGURES l and 3, the drills 255, and 212 of the assemblies210 and 211 are offset from one another and have working positions onopposite sides of the tie. Drill 255 is offset forwardly of the drill212, so as to enable the drilling of dowel pin holes 215 and 257 whichare adjacent and offset from one another and which incline downwardlyfrom the opposite upper side edges of the tie 122. Drill 212 is disposedslightly closer to the face 167 of frame plate 7 than drill 255. Thisoth set arrangement is accomplished in the embodiment by interposing asmall blo-ck 258 between the bracket 219 and the mounting plate formotor 213 of drill 212 as shown in FIGURE 7, whereas a block is not usedin mounting drill 255. rI`he hole 259 in shoe 260 of assembly 210 is, ofcourse, similarly offset forwardly to enable the twist drill of drill255 to register therewith.

Shoe adjusting cylinder 236 is common to both assemblies 210 and 211 andthe arm v261 of assembly 210 is pivotally connected to 'the piston arm235 of the cylinder by the same pin 234 used for connecting arm 233thereto. The arm 261, however, is d-isposed on the opposite side of theeye component of the piston arm 235 as shown in FIGURE 2. Arm 261, assuch, is disposed closer to plate 7 than arm 233 and, of course, thelower end pivotal connection 262 between the arm 261 and shoe 260 issimilarly offset.

The drills 255 and 212, as Ashown in FIGURE 3, lare positioned in theirrespective working positions on opposite sides of the tie. By causingthe piston arms of cylinders 24) and 241 to become extended the drills255 and 212 of the assemblies can be swung outwardly from their workingposition to remote positions generally above and in front of 'thetapered s-ide portions of the frame 6, as exempliiied with respect toassembly 210 by the dotted line position 263. Thus, although the drills255 and 212 are mounted on the front plate 7 and perform their functionadjacent thereto, they are capable of being swung out of their workingpositions to remote positions to enable the ramming mechanism carryingauxiliary plate frame 11 to be drawn into a position generally Vbeneaththe drills so that the rams can be disposed in working positions topress the dowel pins in the drilled holes.

It is deemed evident that the degree of inclination of the dowel pinholes drilled by the drills 255 and 212 is determined by the positionswhich the drills assume with respect to Ithe tie when the guide shoesare placed on the opposite side edges thereof. As such, whether theholes are truly diagonal or not, in the sense that they respectivelyextend from the opposite upper side edges of the tie to the oppositelower side edges, is a matter determined primarily by the rectangilarcross sectional dimensions of the particular tie being dowelled and theworking positions assumed by the drills. However, it is evident that theholes extend in directions which are oppositely inclined andsubstantially diagonal.

THE RAMM'ING MECHANISM The rammingtmechanism 12 is best illustrated inFIG- 13 URES 4, 9, and and is composed'of a pair of ram assemblies 264and 265 and includes oppositely mounted rams 266 and 267 and ramalignment devices 268 and 269.

The rams are pivotally mounted between the plates 162 and 163 of theauxiliary frame 11 toward the opposite sides of the frame and are eacharranged to press a dowel pin in one of the diagonal holes 215 and 257drilled by the drills 212 and 255 of the drilling mechanism. As such,the axes of the rams 266 and 267 are maintained by the alignment devicesto converge downwardly and inwardly of the opposite sides 270 and 271 ofthe frame and generally in parallel with the respective axes of thecorresponding drills 255 and 212 when the latter are in their workingpositions as shown in FIGURE 3. The outer ends 272 and 273 of the rams266 and 267 project outwardly through the open sides 270 and 271 of theframe 11. The rams 266 and 267 are so arranged in the frame 11 that whentheir piston arms 274 and 275 are fully retracted and the ram mechanismis in working position that the heads 276 and 277 of the rams aresuciently spaced from the adjacent side edges 256 and 217 of the tie 122to enable the operator to position dowel pins between the ram heads andthe holes 215 and 257 in which the pins are to be pressed. The pins areinterposed between the ram heads and the ties manually through theopenings 184 provided in front plate 162 (FIGURE 4).

The assemblies 264 and 265 are substantially identical except that oneoperates on one side of the tie whereas the other operates on the otherside of the tie, and accordingly, the respective assembly will bedescribed most particularly with reference to assembly 265, it beingdeemed apparent that assembly 264 is different only to the extent thatit is symmetrically mounted to work from the opposite side of the tiefrom assembly 265.

Ram assembly 265 includes hydraulic ram cylinder 267 and an alignmentdevice 269. The cylinder is pivotally connected to the frame 11 adjacentto the piston arm end of the cylinder and is carried between plates 163and 162 of frame 11 on axially aligned and oppositely extending pivotpins 279 and 280 (FIGURE 2). Pins 279 and 280 are mounted on oppositesides of the cylinder 267 and extend laterally thereof to their endswhich are pivotally mounted in the adjacent plates of the frame 11. Theram 267 accordingly, is adapted to pivot about the common axis of thepins and in the general plane of the upright frame 6.

The plates 162 and 163 of the frame 11 are so arranged in parallelspaced relationship as to be offset outwardly of and above the drilledholes 215 and 257 in the tie when the frame 11 is drawn into pinpressing working position above the end position of the tie to bedowelled. It may be stated at this point that the holes are drilled inthe end portion of the tic and the pins are pressed into the holeswithout changing the resting position of frame 6 on the top of the tieand that when the auxiliary frame is fully drawn rearwardly on the shaft134 and 135, it arrives at the ram working position with the respectiveframes abutting one another.

The piston arm end of the ram 267 is provided with a collared L-shapedram head 277 which opens downwardly and inwardly toward the tie forengaging the upper end of the dowel pin.

The rams 266 and 267 are mounted with their axes parallel to andintermediate the plates 162 and 163 of the frame 11, and although theyare not offset to accommodate the offset nature of the axes of thedrilled holes 215 and 257, the heads of the rams are nevertheless ofsuicient size to engage the ends of the dowel pins when the auxiliaryframe is in a working position for the rams. As seen in FIGURE l0, theheads 276 and 277 of the rams 266 and 267 extend laterally of theirpiston arms 274 and 275 toward the plates 162 and 163. As such, the pin278 is engaged by the head 277 of ram 276 slightly rearwardly of theaxis of piston arm 275, and pin 278 is engaged by head 276 of ram 266slightly forwardly of the axis of piston arm 274.

`The axis of ram 267 is maintained in its generally downwardly andinwardly inclined position by alignment device 269. The device includesa pair of inclined flat plate members 283 and 284 which extend betweenand are welded to the inside faces of frame plates 162 and 163 and whichare offset from and located above the ram cylinder '267. The members arearranged in spaced parallel relationship to each other and are mountedwith their planes inclining downwardly and inwardly in paralleldirections with the general axis of the ram 267 as shown in FIGURE 4.The plates 283 and 284 are interconnected by a pin 286 which is affixedto the plates 283 and 284 and positioned intermediate of and parallel tothe side plates 162 and 163 of the frame 11. The axis of pin 286 isdisposed generally normal to the axis of the ram 267 and to the planesof the plates 283 and 284 of the device. An elongated rod element 285 isslidably connected to and extends generally downwardly and inwardly fromthe pin 286 above the cylinder. The rod 287 is slidably mounted on thepin 2876 at its upper end by means of a snugly fitting integrally formedslidable eye component 287 of the rod which because of the snug tmaintains the rod perpendicular to the pin at all times even though itis slidable thereon. The eye component 287 is maintained generallyintermediate the plates 283 and 284 by means of a pair of pinsurrounding compression springs 288 and 289 which bear outwardly againstthe adjacent plates 283 and 284 of the device 269 and inwardly againstthe opposite sides of the rod eye element 287, as shown in FIGURE 9. Assuch, the springs 288 and 289 constantly urge the eye element 287 of therod into a position such that the rod 285 axis falls more or less midwaybetween the plates 283 and 284. The lower end of the rod 285 oatsbetween the plates 162 and 163 of the frame 11 and terminates a suitabledistance above the bottom of the frame.

The ram head 277 is attached to the device 269 by a suitable arm 281which, at its upper end, is pivotally mounted, as at 290, to a sleeve291 which is carried on rod 285. The sleeve is slidably mounted on therod 285 and adapted to slide back and forth thereon in accord with themovement of piston arm 274. The arm 281 is rigidly welded to the collar282 of the ram head and is adapted to support the ram 267 through itsconnection with rod 285 in the inclined general working position shown.

By virtue of the alignment device, the ram head 277 is Igenerallymaintained in a pin engaging position and is able to move more or lessup and down on its pivotal connection to the frame and thereby adjustitself to the angle with the horizontal which the pin assumes in beingpressed into the dowel pin hole in the tie.

The alignment device maintains the head of the ram 267 in a generalworking position with its axis extending generally in the direction ofthe drilled hole 215 so that the ram can exert forces on the pin whichare substantially in the direction of the hole as the pin is beingpressed into the hole. However, when the hole drilled is somewhat olfparallel with the general working axis of the ram, as maintained by thealignment device, the device enables the ram to pivot to enable the headto follow the end of the pin as it presses the pin in the hole. Thus, ifthe pin assumes a position in the hole 215 as it is being pressed intothe hole such that the ram head moves in the direction of arrow 301, bar285 is shoved in the same general direction by arm 281. This causes thebar to slide on pin 286 against the urgings of spring 288. After the pinis pressed fully into the hole and as the ram arm 275 is beingretracted, spring 288 urges the rod toward its central position betweenplates 283 and 284 and this causes the ram head, through the raml 15connection with the rod, to be urged back into its general workingposition again.

It may be stated at this point that the rarn is pivotally connected tothe plates of frame 11 so that its weight is well balanced on eitherside of the pivot axis. As such, the weight carried by rod element 285is small when the ram is held in working position thereby.

THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM The hydraulic system for actuating the varioushydraulically operated units of the dowelling apparatus is schematicallyillustrated in FIGURE 8.

Briefly, each hydraulic unit is provided with a feed line and a returnline which are controlled in their connections with the pump 26 and thefluid reservoir 300 through a control valve. The feed lines arecollectively designated at 301 whereas the lreturn lines arecollectively designated at 302.

Pressurized fluid is supplied by the pump 26 to each of the controlvalves collectively designated at 13 through a pump discharge line 303and each control valve directs the return uid from its hydraulicallyoperated unit to the reservoir return line 304 when the unit ishydraulically actuated. Return line 304 discharges the fluid in a tank300 on thek vehicle. The pump draws the uid to be pressurized from thereservoir 300 through line 305.

The control valves 13 are of a well-known 3-position type. In onepositionthe pressurized fluid from the pump 26 in line 303 is directedinto the feed line 301 to the hydraulically actuated unit, andsimultaneously the connection between the return line 302 for the unitand the reservoir return line 304 is completed. In the second positionthe pressurized fluid from the pump discharge line 303 is directed inthe return line 302 for the hydraulically actuated unit, andsimultaneously the feed line 301 for the unit is connected to thereservoir return line 304. As such, the return and `feed lines for theunits alternate in their Yfunctions as fluid Vfeed and return lines inaccord with the positions of their associate control valves. The thirdposition is a neutral position wherein the feed and return lines aredisconnected from the pump discharge and reservoir lines 303 and 304 andsealed off from each other, whereby the components of the units arerendered stationary.

The turntable motor 69 is controlled by valve 306. Pinion 72 is causedto rotate in one direction by manually manipulating the lever of valve306 to the rst valve position. This connects the pump discharge line 303with motor feed line 307 and connects motor return line 308 withreservoir line 304. By manipulating the lever to the second position forthe valve 306, the pinion 72 rotates in the opposite direction. Thisposition connects the motor feed line 307 with reservoir return line304, and connects motor return line 308 with pump discharge line 303. Inthe third position the feed line 307 and discharge line 308 aredisconnected from the reservoir line 304 and pump discharge line 303 andthe uid is sealed in lines 307 and 308 thereby rendering pinion 72stationary. Drill motors 213 and 213 are similarly controlled.

Control of the hydraulic cylinders of the system is illustrated byreference to the system for the vertical carriage cylinder 113. Cylinder113 has a feed line 309 and a discharge line 310 which are connected tovertical carriage control valve 311 on opposite sides of the cylinderpiston. By manipulating the lever of the control valve 311 to the rstposition, pressurized Huid is directed Ainto feed line 309 and thepiston arm 154 of the hydraulic cylinder 113 is caused to becomeextended. As the arm 154 becomes extended, the fluid on the arm side ofthe piston is returned through line 310 and is directed through thecontrol valve 311 into reservoir return line 304. So long as the rstposition is maintained, the arrn 1'54 is constantly'being urged out ofthe cylinder by the pressurized fluid. To withdraw the arm. 154, thecontrol valve is disposed in the second position, and the pump dischangeline 303 is thereby connected to the return line 310 and the feed line309 is thereby connected to the reservoir return line 304. As such, thepiston is forced upwardly and the arm is retracted. The neutral positionfor control valve 311 disconnects the feed and return lines 309 and 310from the pump discharge line 303 and line 304 and seals the liquid onthe opposite sides of the piston, thus rendering arm 154 stationary.

To shift the carriage assembly from one side of the railway 93 to theother, the vertical carriage 74 is elevated from the position shown inFIGURE 2 by causing the piston arm 154 of hydraulic cylinder 113 tobecome retracted. This raises the vertical carriage and enables thecarriage to be swung over the end portion of the vehicle 1 by properlycontrolling the actuation of turntable motor 69.

When the frame of the carriage assembly is disposed above the endposition of the tie between the adjacent rail and the end of the tie,cylinder 197 of the clamping mechanism 9 is controlled to cause thedepending jaw arms to assume a position such that upon lowering the headframe 6 the jaws will straddle the tie to be dowelled and will be forcedinto the ballast of the road bed on opposite sides of the tie.Thereafter the vertical carriage cylinder 84 is suitably actuated toforce the carriage assembly horizontally forward to scoop out theballast on the opposite sides of the tie to be dowelled, This process isrepeated until the sides of the tie are cleared of ballast and the jawscan be effectively caused to clamp the tie without interferenec from theballast of the road bed. During the process of clearing the ballast fromthe sides of the tie, cylinder 197 can be actuated to open the jaws byretracting the arm 202 of cylinder 197. This shoves ballast away fromthe sides of the tie, and is repeated as Anecessary to clear the sidesof the tie alone or together with forward horizontal movement of theframe `6. During these operations the flanges 200 and 209 function asballast scoops.

Once the ballast is removed from adjacent the sides of the tie portionto be dowelled, the head frame 6 is caused by suitable control ofhydraulic cylinders S4 and 113 to assume ,a position transversely of thetie with the rest plate 126 positioned inwardly of the end 124 of thetie122 so as to permit the effective operation of the drilling andramming mechanisms on the end portion of the tie. The rest plate 126 ofthe frame is disposed on the crosstie adjacent ,to the rail plate 94 forsupporting rail 95 as shown in FIGURE 2 and positioned rearwardly of theend ofthe tie.

Thereafter the piston arrn 202 of the hydraulic cylinder 197 of theclamping mechanism is extended to force the jaws 200 and 201 `into Vavise-like crack and split closing clamping grip on the opposite sides ofthe tie and the grip is maintained throughout the drilling and pinpressing process. This not only closes most of the cracks and splits atthe end portion of the tie, but also fixes the frame on the tie so thatthe heads of the rams will thereafter effectively register with thedrilled holes without unnecessary manipulation of auxiliary carriage.

Thereafter, with the auxiliary carriage in its foremost position shownin FIGURE 2, the drill assemblies 210 and 211 are brought into a generalworking positron by controlling hydraulic cylinders 240 and 241 toretract their piston arms. The shoes 223 and 260 of the assemblies arethere positioned on the opposite upper side edges of the tie, as shownin FIGURE 3, by suitably controlling cylinders 240 and 241 and shoeadjusting cylinder 236.

When the shoes 2,28 and 260 are properly adjusted and in position, thevalves for the drill motors 213 Land 213 are controlled to cause themotors to operate and the hydraulic drill feed cylinders 221 and 221'are controlled to extend their piston arms 225 and 225' thereby forcingih@ twist drills `through their respective openings in the 17 drillguide shoes and into the tie. Once the generally diagonal andlongitudinally yoffset holes have been drilled, the drill feed cylinders221 and 221 are controlled to retract their piston arms and to therebywithdraw the tool ends of the drills from the tie.

Following the operation of the drills, the hydraulic cylinders 240 and241 are controlled to extend their piston arms and thereby swing thedrills upwardly and out of position so that the auxiliary frame 11 canbe drawn into place.

Frame 11 is then brought rearwardly on the shafts 134 and 135 of theauxiliary carriage 75 and into a position generally beneath the drills212 and 255 by withdrawing the piston arm 17-1 of hydraulic carriagecylinder 168.

Thereafter, the operator of the apparatus manually inserts dowel pinsbetween the ram heads 276 and 277 and the respective holes and controlsthe cylinders 266 and 267 to press the dowel pins into the holes.

Following retraction of the piston arm 274 and 275 of the rams 266 and267, the pressure on the jaws 200 and 201 is reduced by causing pistonarm 202 of floating cylinder 197 to be retracted, and the verticalcarriage 74 is elevated by control of cylinder 113. The process is thenrepeated on the opposite side of the tie by swinging 'the apparatus tothe other side of the vehicle on the turntable.

The dowel pins employed are preferably, as shown in FIGURE ll, of thethreaded type commonly employed for dowelling crossties. Such pins havea low pitch screw thread, and thread themselves into the holes as theyare being forced thereinto without the application of any rotary forcesto the pins as they are being forced into the tie.

From the foregoing it can be seen that the apparatus is provided with ameans for clamping the tie to close wood separations in the form ofcracks and splits at the end portion of the tie to be dowelled, a meansfor drilling inclined transversely directed holes in the tie, as well asmeans for pressing the dowel pins into the drilled holes.

While only cer-tain preferred embodiments of this invention have beenshown and described by way of illustration, many modifications willoccur to those skilled in the art and it is, therefore, desired that itbe understood that it is intended in the appended claims to cover allsuch modifications as fall Within the true spirit and scope of thisinvention.

What is claimed as new and what it is desired to secure by LettersPatent of the United States is:

1. An apparatus for reinforcing a railway crosstie without removing thetie from the road bed of the railway comprising a Ivehicle, drill meansfor drilling a hole in the crosstie between one of its ends tand theadjacent rail mounted on said tie, and pressing means for pressing adowel pin into the hole, said drilling means and pressing means beingcarried by said vehicle.

2. An apparatus in accord with claim l further comprising means forclamping the crosstie between said one end and the 'adjacent rail toclose wood separations in said tie.

3. An apparatus for reinforcing a railway crosstie without removing thetie from the road bed, comprising a frame, tie clamping means suspendedfrom said frame for closing wood separations between one end of the tieand the adjacent rail of the railway, a drill connected to said frameand operable to drill a substantially transversely and diagonallyinclined hole in said tie, between said end and the adjacent rail, andmeans for pressing a dowel pin into said hole in said tie, said pressingmeans being carried by said frame.

4. An apparatus for reinforcing a railway crosstie without removing thetie from the road bed comprising a narrow upright frame adapted to bepositioned transversely of and -on the upper face of the tie between oneof the ends of the tie and the rail adjacent thereto with an end portionof the tie in front of the frame, tie clamping means suspended beneathsaid frame for closing wood separations in said end portion, drill meansswingably connected to the frame and swingable to a working position infront of said frame from another position remote therefrom for drillinga substantially diagonally inclined and transversely extending hole inthe end portion of said tie, and dowel pin pressing means for pressing adowel pin into said hole, said pressing means being supported by saidframe forwardly of said drill working position and being moveable towardthe front of said frame into a working position to press a dowel pininto said hole and further moveable away from the front of said frame toa position remote from its working position to thereby enable said drillmeans to assume its working position between said frame and saidpressing means.

5. An apparatus for reinforcing a railway crosstie without removing thetie from the road bed comprising a vehicle for travel on the railwayhaving a turntable mounted thereon, a vertically and horizontallymoveable carriage including a narrow upright rigid frame positionabletransversely of and on the upper face of the crosstie selectivelyadjacent to the respective opposite sides of said vehicle with a portionof the tie in front of the frame, a pair of jaw carrying arms suspendeddependingly from said frame and arranged to straddle the tie with thejaws adjacent the opposite sides of the tie, means connected to saidarms for forcing said jaws into clamping engagement with the sides ofsaid tie, a pair of drills suspended from the frame and swingablydisposed in front thereof, said drills being swingable from oppositeremote positions adjacent the respective opposite sides of said frame toworking positions in which the axes of the drills converge downwardlyand inwardly toward the respective opposite upper side edges of saidtie, means for swingably connecting said drills to said frame includingguide means for guiding the tool ends of the respective drills into therespective side edges of the tie and means for adjusting said guidemeans on said tie and for swinging said drills to and from theirrespective working and remote positions, .means carried by saidswingably connecting means for forcing the drill ends into the tie whenthe drills are in their respective working positions, an auxiliary framesupported on and moveable toward and away from the front of said rigidframe, means for moving said auxiliary frame toward and away from saidrigid frame, a pair of dowel pin rams mounted on said auxiliary framewith their axes converging downwardly and inwardly thereof for pressingdowel pins into the respective holes bored by said drills, said taxesbeing substantially parallel to the axes of the drills when the latterare in their working positions.

6. In an apparatus for reinforcing a railway crosstie without removingthe tie from the road bed the combination of a drill, means forpositioning said drill in a working position with its axis transverselyof and extending substantially diagonally through the tie, means toforce the tool end of said drill into said tie along said axis, a rampivotally mounted in a plane gener-ally in parallel with said axis, andan alignment device connected to said ram for maintaining the axis ofthe ram generally in parallel with the axis of said drill when in saidworking position.

7. In an apparatus for reinforcing a railway crosstie without removingthe tie from the road bed, the combination of a drill means forselectively positioning said drill at opposite sides of a railway, meansfor positioning said drill with its axis transverse to and extendingsubstantially diagonally through a crosstie mounted on said selectivelypositioning means, means carried by said last mentioned means forinserting and withdrawing the tool end of said drill in said tie toobtain a hole therein, and means carried by said selectively positioningmeans for pressing a dowel pin in said hole.

8. In an apparatus for reinforcing a railway crosstie without removingthe tie from the road bed the combination of a drill, a guide for thetool end of said drill, means connected to the guide for positioning theguide on thecrosstie at a working position disposed between Said 10frames, means for moving said drill from between said 2Q' frames to aposition remote thereto, dowel pin pressing means mounted on theauxiliary frame for pressing a dowel pin in the hole, and means formoving said frames toward and away from each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS GrahamSept. 17, 1935 De Anguera Nov. 1, 1955

